Attachment of building elements

ABSTRACT

A device for affixing a building element to a supporting element, comprising a guide housing for attachment to the building element or the supporting element. Mounted in the guide housing are at least one movable telescopic member and at least one pull-out cable which is fastened to an attachment point in the telescopic member. The attachment device further comprises at least one return cable fastened to the telescopic member and passed round a winding point to a location for operation of the attachment device or a stop strip for restriction of the extended length of the telescopic member. The attachment device may advantageously be used for affixing concrete elements or affixing staircase elements.

The invention relates to an attachment device for affixing a buildingelement to a supporting element and the use thereof. The attachmentdevice comprises a guide housing for attaching to the building element,where at least one movable telescopic member and at least one pull-outcable are mounted in the guide housing.

The need often arises for affixing a heavier building element to asupporting element, be it for affixing concrete floor elements and/orwall elements, landings or staircase elements. In many of theseinstances there is little clearance between the building element and thesupporting element, and in many cases it is desirable to have aconcealed attachment. It is therefore desirable to have an attachmentdevice that can be operated at a distance from the actual attachmentpoint. At the same time an attachment device is required which is of asimple design and therefore reliable, stable and easy to use.

From the prior art the use is known of an attachment device consistingof a guide housing attached to the building element, with a telescopicmember in the guide housing and a pull-out cable. During installationthe telescopic member is pulled out of the guide housing by tighteningthe pull-out cable, thus causing the telescopic member to come intoengagement with a notch in the supporting structure. Other examples ofthe prior art regarding attachment devices for affixing a buildingelement to a supporting element are disclosed in patent publications NO1666963, DE 19652115 and EP 0015460.

There are some problems associated with these solutions. In order toachieve a reliable and stable attachment, the telescopic member shouldnot be pulled too far out of the guide housing. No solution is indicatedin the event that the telescopic member has been pulled out too far orwhere there is a need to remove the building element from engagementwith the supporting element during attachment.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device for affixingbuilding elements to supporting elements, which avoids theabove-mentioned problems and where the attachment device provides asimple, reliable and stable attachment of the building element.

It is also an object of the invention to indicate preferred applicationsof the attachment device.

The object is achieved with an attachment device as indicated in theindependent claims and where additional features of the invention areindicated in subsequent claims.

The attachment device according to the invention comprises a guidehousing. The guide housing has at least one open end and is attached tothe building element that has to be affixed to the supporting element.Depending on the use of the attachment device, the guide housing may belocated in a concealed position inside a recess in the building element,or alternatively on the top or bottom of the building element. The guidehousing may also have any suitable shape and cross section, where itprovides guidance and necessary support for a telescopic member. Mountedin the guide housing is at least one telescopic member, which is movablefrom a position substantially inside the guide housing to an extendedposition where a part of the telescopic member is pulled out through theguide housing's open end. The telescopic member and the guide housingmay have complementary shapes. They may also be envisaged with differentshapes and cross sections, the cross section of the guide housing beingsquare, while the telescopic member is triangular. What is required isthat the telescopic member and guide housing together provide thestrength that is necessary for affixing the building element. Thetelescopic member and guide housing may be equipped with devices tofacilitate sliding between the parts, which for example may be coatedwith a sliding coating or have roller or ball bearings arranged betweenthe parts to facilitate relative movement between the parts. Thetelescopic member has an internal and an external end, where duringattachment the external end affixes the attachment device to thesupporting element or vice versa. The attachment device also has apull-out cable, which is fastened to an attachment point on thetelescopic member. The cable is passed from the attachment point in sucha manner that when an operator pulls the cable, the telescopic memberwill be moved to an extended position relative to the guide housing, andthe building element is affixed to a supporting element.

According to an embodiment of the invention the attachment devicefurther comprises at least one return cable. The return cable isfastened to the telescopic member, for example at the attachment point,from which it extends round a winding point, with the result that whenan operator pulls the return cable the telescopic member will beretracted into the guide housing. It will be natural to place thewinding point on the guide housing or building element. This makes itpossible to ensure correct extension of the telescopic member in orderto achieve a reliable and stable attachment of the building element. Italso makes it possible to pull the building element and the supportingelement apart again during attachment if this should be necessary.

In a second embodiment of the invention the attachment device furthercomprises at least one stop element. This stop element is in the form ofa stop strip attached between the telescopic member and the guidehousing. The stop strip has a length that ensures that the telescopicmember is not overloaded by preventing it from being pulled out too farfrom the guide housing and thereby ensuring a reliable and stableattachment of the building element.

The invention also relates to the use of the attachment device accordingto the invention. The attachment device may advantageously be employedwhen affixing concrete elements to a wall or a pillar. In this case theattachment device may be concealed or visible. The attachment deviceaccording to the invention may advantageously be employed for concealedattachment of staircase elements to the wall of the staircase. Theattachment device may also be used between several staircase elements,for example landing and tread elements. Even though these are preferredapplications, a number of other areas may be envisaged where theattachment device according to the invention may be used, e.g. where aconcealed attachment is required in order to make the attachment moreattractive, to avoid vandalism, etc.

The invention will now be explained by means of an embodiment, withreferences to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a principle drawing where a building element is affixed in aconcealed manner to a supporting element,

FIG. 2 is a principle drawing for the attachment of a building elementwith an attachment device according to the invention,

FIG. 3 is a principle drawing for adjusting the telescopic member in theattachment device according to the invention,

FIG. 4 is a principle drawing of the attachment device according to theinvention viewed from the side,

FIG. 5 illustrates the device in FIG. 4 viewed from above.

Attachment device 1 according to the invention is intended to affix abuilding element 2 to a supporting element 3. In many cases the buildingelement will be a concrete element of different types and supportingelement 3 a wall or pillar, where the attachment has to be made to apoint on the wall and/or the pillar and the area between the buildingelement and the supporting element is a tight fit, such as, for example,a staircase.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 the attachment device 1 comprises a guidehousing 4 which is attached to the building element 2. The guide housinghas at least one open end, but otherwise may be of any suitable shape.It may, for example, be open at both ends. As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3the guide housing 4 is located in a recess in the building element 2.The guide housing may also be envisaged located on the bottom or the topof the building element 2. It is also possible for the guide housing tobe mounted in a recess in the supporting element.

A telescopic member 5 is mounted in the guide housing 4. The telescopicmember 5 can be moved from a position wherein it is substantiallylocated inside the guide housing 4 to an extended position for affixingthe building element 2 to the supporting element 3, as illustrated inFIG. 1. The telescopic member 5 has an internal and an external end.During attachment of the building element 3, the external end will belocated in a recess 11 in the supporting element, as illustrated inFIG. 1. With stairs, for example, when attaching the building element apacking 12 will be placed between the telescopic member's external endand the recess in the supporting element. This is done in order toisolate the building element from the supporting element, thuspreventing the transmission of, for example, sound from the buildingelement to the supporting element.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, in an embodiment the attachment devicecomprises a pull-out cable 6. The pull-out cable 6 is fastened to anattachment point in the telescopic member 5. It is further conveyed insuch a manner that it moves the telescopic member 5 out of the guidehousing 4 when the pull-out cable 6 is tightened by an operator. In theembodiment, the attachment point 9 is located at the internal end of thetelescopic member 5, and the pull-out cable 6 is passed from theattachment point 9 between the telescopic member 5 and the guide tube 4to the outside of the attachment device 1, thus enabling an operator totighten the pull-out cable 6. The attachment point 9 may also beenvisaged located at other points on the telescopic member, but wherethe passage of the cable gives the desired extension of the telescopicmember.

The attachment device 1 further comprises a return cable 7. The returncable 7 is fastened to the telescopic member and passed over a windingpoint out to the operator. FIG. 4 illustrates how the return cable isfastened in the same way as the pull-out cable to the telescopic memberat its internal end. In the embodiment, the winding point comprises aclosed hook, through which the return cable is passed. This hook may bean open hook. The hook is attached to the end of the guide housing 4which is opposite the open end. On tightening the return cable, thetelescopic member will be moved into the guide housing. This may beappropriate where the telescopic member has been pulled out too far orwhere it is necessary to release the building element 2 from thesupporting element 3. The return cable 7 may be fastened to thetelescopic member 5 at several points and may be wound around severalalternative points and still achieve the same effect. The return cable 7may also be wound in several internal loops in the attachment device 1in order to achieve a desired relationship between tightening of thereturn cable 7 and movement of the telescopic member 5. The sameprocedure may also be followed for the pull-out cable 6.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the attachment device 1 furthercomprises a stop strip 8. The stop strip is attached between thetelescopic member 5 and the guide housing 4, in the embodiment at theattachment point 9 and the winding point 10. The function of the stopstrip is to prevent the telescopic member 5 from being pulled out toofar from the guide housing 4. It is the length of the stop strip 8 thatis the limiting factor for the telescopic member's 5 extended position.

The attachment device=3 s 1 telescopic member 5 may also have externalmarkings to indicate the length to which the telescopic member 5 hasbeen pulled out and, for example, a wide ring to indicate the maximumlength to which the telescopic member 5 can be pulled out. This providesa double security against overloading of the attachment device'stelescopic member.

In FIG. 2 a building element 2 with attachment device 1 is illustrated,where the telescopic member 5 is pulled out by means of a pull-out cable6, as illustrated by an arrow in the figure, for engagement with therecess 11 in the supporting element 3.

In FIG. 3 a building element 2 with an attachment device 1 isillustrated, where the telescopic member 5 has been slightly retractedfrom an external extended position by means of a return cable 7.

The invention has been described in the above by means of embodiments.In addition to the embodiments a number of variants and modifications ofthe invention may be envisaged which fall within the scope of theinvention as it is defined in the following claims. The attachmentdevice's guide housing, for example, may be composed of the actualrecess in the building element. The guide housing may consist oftruncated tubes which are open at both ends, or other more openframework structures. Attachment of the winding point for the returncable may be made on a side wall of the guide housing or on the actualbuilding element. If the guide housing is not mounted internally in thebuilding element, but on the top or bottom thereof, the pull-out andreturn cables may be conveyed in a different way to that indicated inthe embodiment and still achieve the same effect. For example, thereturn cable may be passed backwards from the telescopic member and outof the end of the guide housing opposite the open end. The attachment ofthe pull-out and return cables is indicated in the embodiment at theinside of the telescopic member, but this may also be at the outside orthe end of the telescopic member. In the case of a closed telescopicmember, the end surface may be an alternative attachment location. Thepull-out and return cables may be cables, lines, chains, or othersuitable elongated elements. They may be designed in different coloursor shapes to enable the operator to distinguish between the pull-outcable and the return cable. On being affixed to a supporting element, abuilding element will usually have several attachment devices accordingto the invention. A collective arrangement may therefore be envisagedfor the pull-out and return cables for several attachment devices for abuilding element. The attachment device is explained by an embodimentwhere it is attached to the building element. This may also be envisagedperformed in the opposite manner, where the attachment device isattached in a recess in the wall and the telescopic member for attachingthe building element is inserted in a recess therein.

1. An attachment device for affixing a building element (2) to asupporting element (3), comprising a guide housing (4) for attaching tothe building element (2) or the supporting element (3), where mounted inthe guide housing (4) are at least one movable telescopic member (5) andat least one pull-out cable (6) fastened to an attachment point (9) inthe telescopic member (5), where the pull-out cable (6) is passed fromthe attachment point (9) to a location for operation of the attachmentdevice, characterised in that the attachment device (1) furthercomprises at least one return cable (7) attached to the telescopicmember (5) and passed round a winding point (10) to a location foroperation of the attachment device.
 2. An attachment device according toclaim 1, characterised in that it further comprises a stop element (8)for restricting the telescopic member's (5) movement relative to theguide housing (4).
 3. An attachment device according to claim 2,characterised in that the stop element (8) consists of a stop stripfastened between the attachment point (9) and the winding point (10). 4.An attachment device for affixing a building element (2) to a supportingelement (3), comprising a guide housing (4) attached to the buildingelement (2), where mounted in the guide housing (4) are at least onemovable telescopic member (5) and at least one pull-out cable (6)fastened to an attachment point (9) in the telescopic member (5), wherethe pull-out cable (6) is passed from the attachment point (9) to alocation for operation of the attachment device (1), characterised inthat the attachment device (1) further comprises at least one stopelement (8) in the form of a stop strip fastened between the telescopicmember (5) and the guide housing (4).
 5. An attachment device accordingto claim 4, characterised in that the attachment device (1) furthercomprises at least one return cable (7) fastened to the attachment point(9) and passed round a winding point (10) to a location for operation ofthe attachment device (1).
 6. An attachment device according to one ofthe above-mentioned claims, characterised in that the attachmentdevice's guide housing (4) is attached in a recess in the buildingelement.
 7. An attachment device according to claims claim 6,characterised in that the telescopic member (5) has a marking on itsoutside for indicating extended length with indication of maximumextended length.
 8. An attachment device according to claim 7,characterised in that the telescopic member's (5) external end forattachment of the building element (2) is mounted in a recess (11) inthe supporting element (3).
 9. (canceled)
 10. (canceled)
 11. (canceled)12. A method for attaching a building element (2) to a support element(3), comprising providing an attachment device according to claim 6,wherein the telescopic member (5) is initially retracted inside theguide housing (4), positioning the building element such that telescopicmember (5) is adjacent to an attachment point on the support element,and manipulating pull-out cable (6) such that telescopic member (5) ismoved to an extended position and engages the attachment point. 13.Method according to claim 12, wherein, in order to remove the attachmentdevice, a return cable (7) may be manipulated to return the telescopicmember (5) to the retracted position.
 14. The method according to claim12 or 13, wherein the attachment point is a recess.
 15. The methodaccording to claim 14, further comprising providing a gasket or otherresilient material between the telescopic member (5) and the contactpoint.